About Us

Mission

DOVE, Inc. is committed to serving communities, families and individuals impacted by domestic violence. We seek to empower our clients and the community by providing safety, shelter, education and support services. By promoting an environment free from abuse, we strive to see DOmestic Violence Ended.

Guiding Principles

Human Rights/Social Justice
DOVE, Inc. recognizes that domestic violence is a violation of one's most basic human right. The concept of human rights directs staff to respect the inherent dignity and worth of a person and to seek out and provide services and resources that assist clients in living a life free from control and abuse. A social justice lens suggests that staff must be especially vigilant in providing access to resources and services for people who are the most discriminated against, disadvantaged and oppressed.

Strength-based perspective
The strengths perspective directs staff… "to view people as strong, resilient and resourceful; to validate clients' views of themselves and the systems that provide services. This philosophical stance and approach to people and systems…" is demonstrated through staff/client partnerships whether creating client service plans or agency policy and program development.

Ecological Perspective
DOVE, Inc. recognizes the domestic violence impacts many areas of one's life. "The ecological perspective emphasizes a holistic approach to practice in the environmental contexts in which people live, including family, friends, work, services, education and religious affiliation. It suggests that people can and do change their environments in order to survive and thrive." Through this lens, staff assist clients in identifying and strengthening their existing supports.

Community-based
For much of the domestic violence movement, requiring survivors to leave their communities of origin in order to receive domestic violence services, was the dominant school of thought. Building upon a strengths-based and ecological perspective, community-based practice directs staff to consider informal supports as assets to the client system and seeks to link clients to services as close to their home as possible.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration
DOVE recognizes and respects the need for inter-agency and multidisciplinary collaboration to address the multidimensional and complex issues facing the individual, families and communities we serve.

Human Diversity
"To collaborate successfully, staff must celebrate differences and use culturally competent methods of providing services to individuals, groups, families, organizations and communities from diverse groups in an increasingly global society. Understanding the particular belief systems of immigrant populations of children and families, especially those who are oppressed and poor, is critical in providing access to needed services, resources and supports."

Themes and much of the descriptions borrowed from Wheelock College, School of Social Work, Program themes, retrieved December 19, 2005